# Origins of "rag-top"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rag-top/292239>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 28, 2005, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rag-top/292239 "2005-02-28T02:11:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rag-top/292239/21 "2005-03-01T16:39:35Z")

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> [@Mathochist](#):
>
> The car in question is definitely a convertible. The top is down in the scene.

> [@Mathochist](#):
>
> The car in question is definitely a convertible. The top is down in the scene.

Of course. As has been mentioned, many of the very first cars had buggy tops that folded down. What I was referring to was **Eztrete’s** post about the Chevrolet “turret top” replacing the canvas covered, wood-frame tops of the 1930’s.

The part of the top that appears “different”, [here,](http://www.autogallery.org.ru/k/c/34chevstandard2dr_CCT.jpg)[here,](http://www.autogallery.org.ru/k/c/34chvDA4dr_WilliamBartram.jpg) [and here,](http://www.autogallery.org.ru/k/c/34chev_KI.jpg) is a cloth, usually duck or canvas, covered, wood frame set into the metal of the top as in these 1934 Chevrolets.

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rag-top/292239/22 "2005-03-01T16:42:19Z")

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And if you go to the home page of the url in the previous post you can see pictures of several convertable coupes, sedans, and a roadster with a rumble seat.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-rag-top/292239/23 "2005-03-02T05:23:11Z")

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> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> Maybe you should send a copy of the article to the dictionary/etymology sites so that they can update their entries. Looks like you found something they didn’t.

Actually, I did that before I posted here. Posted to the American Dialect Society Mailing list, with cc’s to OED and M-W. They monitor the site.

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